"My favorites are Edgar Allan Poe and Rita Dove. ... I had never heard of her before, but I like her. She's modern. Her poems have so much meaning, but you have to dig deep to find it."

The Northern Illinois Regional Contest for Poetry Out Loud featured 10 students from three schools. First place went to Asia Ward, a Creative And Performing Arts student from Auburn High School. Whylder Moore of Jefferson High School placed second. Both advance to the state competition next month in Springfield. Anabel Morales of Auburn is the alternate.

Winner of the state competition will win a trip to Washington and a shot at a $20,000 college scholarship. Last year, Auburn student Cat Harmon placed second.

"We've only been doing this the past seven years, and the talent gets better every year," said Sharon Nesbit-Davis of the Rockford Area Arts Council, which coordinates the regional contest.

"We really want to encourage schools to put recitation back in the curriculum and help expose students to master poets. It's a part of our culture. ... Plus, to get up there and recite a poem from memory, that's a skill that not all people have."

"It teaches students the discipline of being able to integrate understanding and memorization and gives them the experience of being able to present oneself in the public and command an audience," he said.

"These are fairly complex skills, all things that are folded up in being able to be an effective communicator."

From other participants

"I really enjoy the dark poems and seeping into someone else's brain and seeing how they look in the world. ... I'm glad I tried something new because I've learned to appreciate poetry more and how beautiful the writing is."

"I'm a theater student, so I really like the opportunity to perform. ... Poetry is not as well-known and it's not performed as much. I really like that you can take people's work and perform it and give it new meaning."

- Allison Pitman, Auburn student

"I'm increasing my poetry skills as I go along, and I get to express myself in ways I can't at school. At school, everyone has a little tiny voice. Here, it feels like I'm given more freedom to express myself and give a big voice."